Minnesota struggles to close broadband adoption gap

Despite all of the positive talk about the progress the United States has made with broadband, political leaders should look at Minnesota, a state where an estimated 28 percent of consumers still do not subscribe to a broadband service.

While that figure is lower than the national average of 35 percent, a new survey released by Connect Minnesota this week revealed there are two main reasons why Minnesota residents don't have a broadband connection: a lack of interesting content, and the cost of service. An average broadband connection in Minnesota costs about $49.46 versus the national average price of $45.73 a month.

Out of the 1,200 residents who participated in the survey, only 72 percent have a broadband connection from a telco or cable operator, while 85 percent said they had a computer.

Bill Coleman at the Blanding Foundation, said that in Mora, Mn., a rural area 70 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, service was largely nonexistent.